Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/26/2000 | 2 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Consumer took vehicle in for electrical problems & found that rotors were corroded on the inside. dealer checked vehicle for inspection in june & said nothing to the consumer about rotor corrosion. consumer will have to pay out of pocket. *ak the mechanic stated that the rotors should not have been machined because it does not meet the required minimum thickness. *yh | |||
| 01/01/1996 | |||
| When driving at any speed and applying the brakes, the brakes failed and weren't stopping the vehicle properly. also, there is virbration within the steering and a short within the electrical system. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle constantly having trouble starting. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 1 | |||
| Alternator failed.*et | |||
| 08/01/1999 | 2 | 12/01/1995 | |
| Due to defective alternator, vehicle would stall unexpectedly and without warning which may have caused a crash. dealer could not determine the cause. also, there are problems with electrical wiring harness. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| Vehicle had been sitting all day in a cool damp spot. horn started to blow on and off on its own. consumer had to take out fuse to stop horn from blowing. consumer took vehicle to dealer, and dealer stated there was a short in horn that could possibly start a fire. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Interior junction box failed.*et | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 06/18/1998 | 3 | ||
| Ses light on, dealer replaced spark plug and the solenoid. *slc | |||
| 2 | |||
| Spark plugs and wires failed .*et | |||
| 2 | |||
| Spark plugs and wires replaced due to improper gapping from factory.*et | |||
| 06/23/2000 | 2 | ||
| 1,2,3. brakes have been a constant problem on this vehicle. first known problem was about 08/99 when dealer found pitted & blistered rear brake rotors. replaced them as a favor since car was still under warranty (less than 36,000 miles). i had complained about lower gas mileage and feeling like car was dragging and had been told earlier that there were no problems - use a lower gear. in june, 2000, i noticed that my right rear brake disk was glowing red after a 36 mile freeway drive. later, when i was able to get under the car, i found that the parking brake actuator on the driver's side rear caliper was frozen in the on position. wd40 and muscle freed it, but it had to be left off at all times. the dealer found the disks to be warped, caliper ruined and front disks also warped. pads were not terribly worn on the front. i have routinely gone 50,000 on pads in previous calls; the rear pads on this car had less than 15,000!! again, dealer implied it was my fault and not a defect by saturn. #4. speed control - device began erratic function - sped up and slowed down without warning; at times wouldn't turn on. dealer fixed under warranty, but no notice of this problem. #5. ignition switch - started having difficulty in turning on or fully off (locked position). first told by dealer it must be jammed with key shavings-if key shows brass color, must be replaced. dealer found that there was a groove in the switch housing-due to use of a heavy key chain by previous owner. i paid 50% - looks like cheap, soft metal housing-design flaw. #6. horn failed without warning at around 26,000 miles - 3 1/2 year old car. replaced under warranty. i wonder what will fail next - all of these could have led to an accident. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Ignition key sticking. | |||
| 2 | |||
| Spark plugs failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 05/23/2002 | |||
| While driving engine quit, which was caused by computer failure .*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 08/01/1999 | 2 | 12/01/1995 | |
| Due to defective alternator, vehicle would stall unexpectedly and without warning which may have caused a crash. dealer could not determine the cause. also, there are problems with electrical wiring harness. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 09/16/1996 | |||
| Computer generates a strong signal on the international calling frequency on the 2 meter amteur band, making any emergency call on that frequency unworkable in/near the vehicle. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | |||
| 11/01/2002 | 5 | 02/13/1998 | |
| Rear lights kept going out - saturn dealer said the electrical system had been butt-spliced. since only saturn worked on the vehicle, this was unexplainable. it seems, however, my car is not the only one with this problem. apparently, the butt-splicing is being done by saturn and being blamed on the consumer -- and charged to the consumer. i discovered this problem after being stopped by the police, twice.*ak | |||